Slants on Sports

For the past few weeks every sports editor in the country has been innundated with a flood of mail asking their choices for the all-star baseball game to be played tomorrow afternoon at the Polo Grounds.

Of course, the newspapermen who answered these queries don’t rate. They seem to be in a special class by themselves and are only members of the fourth estate. But what about the selection of the Cohens and Kelleys, the Finnegans, Smiths, and Levys, aside from the hundreds of thousands of baseball bugs who worked themselves into a fourth of July firecracker only to explode when the players were finally picked for the all-star game? The fans were asked to choose their dream-players and when they did, their choice was treated as a pipe dream. We intend giving the names of the baseball moguls to our star Fascist reporter, Pat McGrady, because we really think that baseball in America is going Fascist.

We mustn’t forget the baseball experts know as much about the diamond business as the boxing wisebirds know about the cauliflower game. That’s why the writers who had picked their own teams are apologizing for themselves and the managers who had picked another. The reason generally given is that the fans’ votes are obviously as fault and the all-star pilots are put on the spot. In the classical words of the immortal Cieero, “Phooey, Phhoey, and Pheh!”

TERRY PICKS, CRONIN CHOOSES, THE FANS DON’T COUNT

The way it looks to us is that it might have been a Farley plot. The postal deficit being what it is, Farley must have been behind the idea to get the fans to mail in their choice. The stamps are paid for but the votes don’t count, so what?

However, in our issue of “Slants on Sports” for June 18, we picked the players we thought were best for this game. We must have been crazy with the heat at the time or just getting over the splendid performance of the California crew at the Poughkeepsie regatta. At any rate, if you’ll check up on us you’ll note that teams that take the field tomorrow are nearly the same outfits we chose a month ago. Only three players that we asked for are not on the regular list, but they are slated to get into the game as reserves.

In the American League we had Gehrig at first, Gehringer at second, Dykes at third, Cronin at shortstop, and for the outfielders Manush, Averill and Ruth. The batteries selected were Dickey, catcher, with Gomez, Grove and Whitehill handling the pitching job.

In the National League: Bill Terry at first, Frankie Frisch at second, Pie Traynor at third, with Travis Jackson handling the hot post. Medwick, Berger and Klein, were placed in the outfield, and Lopez behind the plate to handle the steam of Hubbell, Dean and Warneke.

As you no doubt know by now, the selections of the managers differed from our choice by three players. Mell Ott was chosen by the big boys instead of Berger. In the American League Frank Higgins and Al Simmons are the only changes. Still, Berger, Dykes and Averill will play tomorrow, which gives us a batting average of .945 per cent for the all-star game.

WEINER ELECTS

Some fans wrote in and asked us to give our opinion on what team to bet along with as the winner of tomorrow’s game. Well, after much finagling around the office, we managed to raise six dollars and thirty-seven cents. We’re going to shoot the works and plunge the roll on the all-stars from the American League. We like the boys because of their pepper, their batting averages, their fielding records, and because of a great deal of personal regard for four or five of the boys on the American League outfit.

We had lunch with Babe Ruth recently and he told us how he’d like to perform in the game. This is one of the reasons for our A. L. choice.

THE SPORTING CALENDAR FOR HAMILTON POSTâ€”WRESTLING

It won’t be long before they’ll be putting up the S.R.O. sign at the Fort Hamilton Boxing Club in Brooklyn. This club, though small, can’t be beaten when it comes to presenting stellar attraction to the sport fans of the city.

Assorted grunts and groans will be offered to the mat fans tomorrow when Dick Shikat, former world’s champion, opposes the Masked Marvel in the feature finish attraction.

Sammy Klein, idol of the Jewish fans, meets Gene Bruce, a huge hustling Scandinavian. Christie, Blackstock, Yousouff, Hagen and Romano are also on the card.

As usual the popular Gunboat Smith will officiate.

CONEY ISLAND VELODROMEâ€”BOXING

Al Weill’s boxing show was rained out last week, but the same corking card is on the bill for tomorrow night at the seaside athletic plant. Pacho meets Tony Falco of Philly and Kenny La Salle takes on Young Firpo, also of Philly.

Primo Carnera will be at the ringside to cheer his stablemate Tamagnini, who meets the Jewish boxer, Abe Wasserman, Danny Levine of the East Side meets Izzy Jannazzo for the welterweight championship of the East Side.

BOXING FAVORITES STILL POURING IN

The idea to choose the greatest Jewish prizefighter of all time is going over bigger and better than we expected. To enter this contest just write a letter of one hundred words to the sports editor, giving the reasons for your choice. Also enclose the column heading “Slants on Sports.” There will be eight prizes.